Taking Personal Note........

... and had seduced the more part of the righteous until they had come down to believe in their works and partake of their spoils....

This little phrase in Helaman 6:38 arrested my attention this morning as I was reading in The Book of Mormon.  We become seduced by the world and the philosophies of the world in two ways - we subscribe to the "works" the world has to offer and/or the "spoils" which we cannot resist partaking of.  It is easy to be enamored with academia, social agendas, professionalism, business and financial success, political philosophies, scientific research, fame and fortune. When practices bring riches, position, praise or prestige along with it how can we turn away!

This scripture was not referring to the honest endeavors of those seeking to further truth and knowledge and the application of that knowledge but to the false philosophies of those seeking to overthrow righteousness and enthrone teachings and practices that go against the commandments of God. 

Owning Repentance

The Repentance of Peter - Carl Heinrich

"The suffering and distress endured by people of this earth is the result of unrepented and unremitted sin.....Just as suffering and sorrow attend sin, so happiness and joy attend forgiveness of sins."  

                                                                    (Marion G. Romney - conference Report, Apr 1959, 11)

This is not a popular belief in our day and age.  We balk at the notion that repentance and unhappiness are intertwined.  But if we humbly examine this idea it is not hard to see that many difficulties of life, other than those that come from living in a mortal existence, in one way or another are connected to sin, our own or the sins of others.  The idea of unremitted sin (as a different category than unrepented sin) is also worth pondering. How do we receive a remission of our sins after we have repented?

We live in a prideful age.  We don't like being accountable.  Repentance, however is a merciful tool, a gift.  Living life each day with a repentant and humble heart allows us to retain a remission of our sins and receive the spirit of God in our lives that sustains us through the difficulties inherent in living in this world.  It gives us peace of mind

Here is Wikipedia's definition of repentance:

Repentance is the activity of reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs. It generally  involves a commitment to personal change and the resolve to live a more responsible and humane life.

Another definition from lds.org.

Repentance is more than simply acknowledging wrongdoings. It is a change of mind and heart. It includes turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. It is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments.

Repentance is the greatest of all gifts from our Lord and Savior.  It allows us to change and to not be saddled with the consequences of our choices forever.  It opens the door for a remission of sin which opens the door for our greatest happiness.  Repentance is forward thinking and forward moving.